Pages

Monday, August 31, 2009

Well, we are back from vacation--don't you always feel like you need a vacation FROM vacation? Laundry, (including a repair for the dryer that bit the dust the day before we left), putting things away, cleaning your dusty house, staring aghast at the garden that got away from you in just one week.....sometimes it doesn't feel as if it is worth it! But we had a nice quiet time visiting my dad; no stamping time, but I did play with some new Copics and colored in some RAK images I had!

I came home to find out that a young woman in our church was in the hospital; her mom is a friend and customer, so I reached for the little sick QT Hooty image from Pink Cat Studio to make her a card. I used (roughly) the Fall to Layout Sketch #55 from Clean & Simple Blog:

Sentiment is from PTI; other cardstocks are Bashful Blue and Summer Sun; twill is from Taylored Expressions; button & flower are both retired from SU! I used the "Hooooope you get better" sentiment on the inside as well! I hooooope she likes it! This is also for today's Clean & Simple challenge #30 at SCS, which is to remake a card; I chose this card from a while back:

Obviously, a different image; different papers, a little simpler!

Thanks for visiting today---I am going to try to get caught up on my Reader--but at over 900 posts, I doubt that will happen!!! Have a wonderful day!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Mr. Big Shot Frankenstein, that is! This fun little guy is right from the Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator website. BJ Peters very kindly shared many of her Top Note projects, made with the Big Shot and the Top Note diecut.

I adapted MY Mr Frankenstein a little tiny bit, making my own box since I did not have the diecut box she used, and I used Green Galore cardstock instead of the lighter shade of Gable Green. So here he is in all his gory glory:

And here's the breakdown:

Body front is two Top Notes, Green Galore and Lovely Lilac, which is cut in jagged edges for hair; body back is one single Green Galore Top Note;

Eyes and eyelids are various-sized circle punches; eye has been highlighted with white gel pen;

Nose is a Tab Punch cutout;

Tag is a circle Punch and Modern Label punch; sentiment is from All Holidays; it is attached to the box with a Jumbo eyelet and Crop-a-dile;

"Stitches" are hand-drawn with black marker; all edges have been sponged.

Here is a top view; I simply took an 11" strip of cardstock and folded the sides in, making a box shape, and adhered it to the front & back of the Top Notes :

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hi everyone--this greeting comes from the sunny shores of Delaware, where I am on vacation! This week the Color Throwdown hostess is Cathy, and she has chosen Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Positively Pink as her colors! I substituted Pixie Pink and you should feel free to do that also, if you don't have these exact colors! We want everyone to play!

This week our sponsor is My Creative Classroom--you need to hop over to the ColorThrowdown blog to see what they're all about! They were new to me, and wow, what a lot of stuff they have to offer! Once you create your card, post it on your blog or an online gallery (use CTD57 as your keyword), then post it to Mr Linky! You might get chosen to be a Featured Stamper or even a Guest Designer for October!

I chose something simple for my card since I was in the midst of getting ready to go away. This is a totally-Dawn McVey-inspired card! But it was so much fun to make:I am so struggling with my photography; even this card, taken outside, was troublesome! Anyway, the base is Bashful Blue with some retired DP on top, then Cert Celery and a Swiss Dotted white panel. The flower, cut from my Blossom Nesties, was stamped with different polka dots from the PTI Polka Dot Basics set; the leaves are stamped in Background Basics: Text Style, trimmed, folded, then run through my crimper. The sentiment is from Vintage Picnic Basket, stamped on a Ribbon Tags Trio diecut. Ribbon was from my stash; the center of the flower is from SU's Circle Circus with some generic bling added! Now let's see what the other CTD designers did this week:

Another Wednesday, another wonderful challenge from the divas at Diva Coffee Break Designs! This week, it's a color challenge:

Aren't these lovely colors? I pulled out a pretty set that I haven't used for a while, Dreams duJour and did some watercoloring after I stamped the image in Basic Brown ink:

It is difficult to see in the photo, but I used the swirly Background Texturz plate on the Very Vanilla piece, and the small polka dot Texturz on the chocolate chip piece, which was also stamped with the background stamp, Tres Chic. I added some eyelet punched borders, pierced corners, some ribbon and glitter, and my card was done!

Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to check out what the other Divas have done! Then play along and add your creation to Mr Linky on the DCBD blog! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I found I needed a quick sympathy card, and my go-to set these days for those kinds of cards is Thoughts & Prayers. I am not big on coloring on my stamps with markers....I know that it is a great technique, but I am usually not that patient!!! However, I have seen many beautiful cards using this set with that technique, so I thought I would attempt it.

My method might be a little different.....I inked the whole stamp first in Mellow Moss, then I went over the stems with a Chocolate Chip marker. I colored right over the MM ink, and I was pretty happy with the results:

I used a piece of Thoroughly Modern DP in a Soft Suede pattern, and mounted it on a Kraft card; there are many elements found on this card similar to Monday's card, because I made them within hours of each other, and all the same punches and diecuts were left on my desk! LOL! I did add a leaf diecut to mimic the leaves in the tree; it was cut from Mellow Moss cardstock; one difference on this card is that I added a corduroy brad, as this was being hand-delivered, and didn't need to worry about it fitting in the envelope!

Monday, August 24, 2009

I will be away for a few days visiting my dad, so I thought I would share a few things that I've made over the last month but haven't had a chance to post.

This card came together very quickly; I needed a hostess thank you, and she was on her way to my house to pick up her order---I finished it as the door bell rang! Thankfully, I made two and was able to photograph this one! :D I love the color combination of Dusty Durango and Kraft:

The Pocket Silhouettes image and sentiment are stamped on Very Vanilla in Dusty Durango and mounted on a Kraft card with a Bella Bleu panel. The smaller floral pattern in this DP is also mounted on the Dusty Durango panel. Two oval punches make quick work of this card!!! The Kraft taffeta is so easy to tie and makes for an elegant finish. The ornate mat is a diecut from the Lots of Labels set---what a great diecut that is!!! I even stamped the image on a Kraft envelope to make a nice coordinating set! (She loved it!)Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Yesterday I got to go on a short stamp shopping expedition--say that three times fast!! I met up with an "old" stamping friend, Denise (peanutbee) and also a new stamping friend, Cathy (CathyMac on SCS). We all live within an hour of a nice little stamp store in the heart of Amish Country, so we met up and did some shopping!! Be sure to ask Denise what I "enabled" her to buy!!!! LOL!

And just for fun, I snapped a photo of the cute young man who was running the store, probably for his mom:

Isn't he sweet? I think he was a little overwhelmed by our exuberance!!

Before I left, I realized I hadn't made a little something to give the girls. I already had Puns from the Past sitting on my desk, so I got some gingham paper from my Crafty Secrets Earthy pad, some buttons from PTI, some taffeta from SU and made two of these quick little notebooks:

Although we don't "sew" together, we do have a common thread through our love of stamping! After a delicious lunch at Shady Maple Smorgasbord, we went on our separate ways, but we will definitely be meeting again and adding some other stampers to our group!!! Thanks, girls!!

Now, technically, this is more like a graduation card ( like I said, what was I thinking?) but I just pulled out my CHF Kim Hughes' set Making the Grade and some various DPs and started mixing stuff up!

Everything is pretty much self-explanatory, just lots of layers, BG stickers, some paper piecing, a couple nesties----I think it makes my eyes hurt! LOL! My niece is starting nursing school--she may get a little giggle out of this, so perhaps I'll mail it to her! Now, I have a date to tango with my vacuum!!!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Broni is our hostess today and she has chosen some fresh new Stampin'Up! colors for our challenge:

Our sponsor this week is Rubbernecker Stamps! Be sure to check the Color Throwdown blog to get all the details about this wonderful company and what they're giving away this week! EVERYBODY needs to check this out!!! Remember, you don't need these exact colors to play, in fact, Broni has given some substitutions on the CTD blog, so check it out. Post your creation on your own blog or an online gallery, and use CTD56 as the keyword. Then come back to the CTD blog and link your post, (not just the blog address) to Mr Linky so we all can see your creations!! You may be just lucky enough to be chosen the Featured Stamper, and then be in the running for a Guest Stamper spot! So lets get on to the card!

When I saw this new Coffee & Tea Inchies set, I knew I would LOVE it. In fact, I think I will just keep this card for myself and not give it to anybody!!! LOL!!! 'Cuz I LOVE COFFEE!!! What do you think:

I love these colors together, too; the new SU Thoroughly Modern DP works perfectly with this color combo. I did a variety of paper piecing after stamping each image with Soft Suede. I used the dots from IBBG for one Dusty Durango coffee cup; the DD coffee pot, I freehanded the zig zag lines with a marker. The "i" was also drawn with a marker; the heart is from the 3-heart punch by SU. Nesties and circle punches made the layers, and the polka-dot Dusty Durango ribbon finished it off. You can barely see it, but I also stamped "coffee" in Fresh Snow (PTI) on the dotted DP. Mmmmm, I can smell my java brewing now.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our DCBD Challenge--this week, we have a sketch for you to try:

While "playing" at my upline, Pennie's, she cranked out a couple of these cool Lattice diecuts with her Big Shot. I took a little creative license and used one of the diecuts, which has four "squares" in it, as the foundation for my card:

I have been "challenging" myself for these sketch challenges to use colors that I wouldn't normally use. I hardly ever use Brilliant Blue, so I thought I would try pairing it with the new Rich Razzleberry. It did turn out a little bright---but it is a get well card, after all! Not sure I will use these colors again, but I do like the sketch! The Lattice piece is layered over a piece of RR Patterns DP, and flowers from Eastern Blooms have been stamped, cut out and popped up on dimensionals in the center of each lattice "square". I added centers stamped in Brilliant Blue as well. The whole panel is layered on Brilliant Blue cardstock, and I used the Modern Label punch to highlight the words from Thoughts and Prayers. It fits nicely onto one of the labels from Lots of Labels diecut; little brads and polka-dotted ribbon finish it off.

So check out what the other Divas have come up with this week---there are some beautiful creations there this week! Check them out on the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog, then post your own creation there using Mr Linky! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

A quick post for today's CC232 at SCS, as well as a sketch at Stamping 411, which is a new find for me! Here's the sketch:

My fingers were itching to add some more "stuff" to this card, but since the sketch was clean and simple, I wanted to keep with that look.

I pulled out a new set, Tree Trimmings, and stamped it in Taken with Teal and Close to Cocoa, on a Very Vanilla panel, which are the challenge colors. These are so close to the new Thoroughly Modern DP, which features Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede, I had to use it to bring out those nice colors. The ornament was stamped again and popped up; the words are stamped on Vellum cardstock and adhered behind the main image; the little reindeer from Winter Post was stamped directly on the DP. A little Close to Cocoa eyelet border was added too. Easy!! Thanks for visiting today!

I have a soft heart for vintage images, and Christmas images are right at the top of my list. I have been playing with some of my new stamp sets, one from Artistic Outpost and the other from Cornish Heritage Farms.

The image is stamped in Handsome Hunter and distressed with various green & tan inks; it is mounted on a piece of Fruitcake BG cardstock I have been hoarding! The image is also from the same set, stamped in Close to Cocoa and daubered. I forgot I wanted to add glitter to the punched pine boughs, which are really a darker green IRL--the photo has washed all the colors out. It really is a nice, warm, green & brown card! The ribbon is also HH, retired SU.

I was experimenting with my very limited supply of Copics; I actually wasn't even going to make this into a card, but once I cut it out with the Nestability, I just kept going! The papers are BG Wassail and (I think) Boxer. The snowflakes were also an experiment; they were punched out (Martha Stewart) and pushed into some Brilliance gold & silver stamp pads I got at a yard sale......worked pretty well! I added some gingham ribbon for a vintage look. I am not sure how the sparkly snowflake really complements this sort of grungy-looking card, but as I said, it was an experiment!!! The ribbon is Soft Suede polka-dotted, flipped to the backside!

Finally, a Bravo Burgundy and Sage Shadow combo:

Bravo Burgundy ink always looks a little odd stamped on BB cardstock; I wish SU would come up with a nicer maroon color! Anyway, the Leaves backgrounder was stamped at the bottom of the card, edges rounded; the script image was stamped at the top left; holly images were stamped on the Sage Shadow piece. Another little grosgrain ribbon (I seem to be stuck on this ribbon look) tied it together. Again, this was sort of an experimental card, as I try out these unmounted stamps to get the feel for them, since they are a little different than wood-mounted stamps. But what space-savers they are! I haven't glitterfied any of these---maybe I'll go back and add a little for some retro glitz!!

I may be back with another card today, but be sure to come back tomorrow for a new Color Throwdown Challenge as well as the Diva Coffee Break Designs challenge!!! See you then!

Monday, August 17, 2009

The CAS Challenge at SCS today was to make a masculine clean & simple card....no problem! I already had a stack of these made for my August birthday cards for the men at my church, using various pieces of retired DP:

The papers are all Real Red & Night of Navy; sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo's Friendly Advice (thanks again, Caryl!).

I made this one in about 10 minutes:

Leaves and trees are always good for masculine cards. This is from Lovely as a Tree, stamped in Basic Brown and watercolored with various Earth Elements inks. I added a little speckle with Itty Bitty Backgrounds, and a Chocolate Chip-stamped sentiment from Flourishes' Sweet Violets. Base is Ruby Red. Both cards are 4x5" because I have a big stash of yard-sale-find envelopes in that size! Thanks for visiting today!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

I have decided that I cannot stamp when my husband is around, which is mostly on the weekends. He never says anything, but I feel guilty, like I should be doing other things. So this is a guiltily-stamped card so that I can fulfill my stamping fetish and now go and do something else like shred zucchini.

There is a new sketch site, Get Sketchy, and my blogging friend Ann is on their team, which makes me happy, and Ann's cards make me happy, but I noticed that most of the samples are a little more "funky" that what I normally make. I guess it is because I am getting older and my style is more "fuddy" than "funky" (can you tell I am in a slightly-not-so-good mood? sorry). So this card was a little stretch for me, although I love the bright colors and the sentiment from my friend Caryl, I just never quite know how to put everything together. But together it is and hopefully someone will find it fun. Here is the sketch:

and here is my big sketchy card:

This is a square 5 1/2" card, Pretty in Pink; assorted BG and other scraps from my stash; Kiwi Kiss, some fun funky felt sticky flowers from Simon Says Stamp/Hero Arts, some SU Old Olive ribbon and some rickrack also from my stash. Sentiment is Inkadinkado's Friendly Advice. Thanks for visiting---off I go to the zucchini patch!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hey everybody! Today is Sharon's Stamp Simply's 100th challenge! Woohoo! To celebrate, we're making birthday stuff--cards, gifts, you name it! And there are presents, and blog candy, and all kinds of fun things on lots of blogs! I have chosen to make a glittery, clean & simple-style card that is quick and easy to do! It's a fun technique many of you have probably tried before, but it's always fun to have a refresher:

Cameras and glitter just don't seem to get along---the colors of Martha Stewart glitter I used were Kunzite, Garnet and Carnelian....just pretend you can see all the pretty glitteriness here! And they really match my ink much better than represented here! LOL!

To get this glittering effect, punch out some stars, then the circles around them. Put some wide, clear packing tape on the back of each opening and liberally sprinkle on some glitter! That's it! I know that SU has a Sticky Paper (of course, I don't have any!) and there are other products out there that would be easier, but I used what I had! The sentiment is from PTI's Star Prints, stamped in Pixie Pink/Melon Mambo; the little star has also been colored with a Gelly Roll pen. The big ribbon (gasp!) is from my stash...I would have liked to have had a better edge cut on it....but it just wouldn't behave!

So be sure you check out all the other designers that Sharon has today---they've been busily creating and gathering blog candy goodies, so grab a tall iced tea and check them out! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Yeah, that's me! I realized that several weeks ago (or was it days ago) someone left me a blog award....can't remember who, I am so ashamed. So please forgive me! Donna at Butternut Sage also gave me one yesterday--you can read all about it (and some about her) here. She has some wonderfully creative ideas on her blog, visit while you're there. And you can see her working at a CUPCAKE bakery! Yum! She thinks I am too busy to pass it on, but truthfully, I just could never only pick out a few---and that's the truth! So I will just enjoy the fact that there are sweet loving women out there who care about others and want to pass it along---so consider it passed along to all of you! So there you have it, I am a scatterbrain....so sorry!

But this scatterbrain does have a card or two to show you today--

These coordinated designer papers SU has are always good for a quick easy card. I used a sentiment from Holiday Blitz along with the open circle from Circle Circus. If you look closely, you'll see I did a little "shadow" stamping:

once in Sahara Sand, then again (using my stamp-a-ma-jig) in Stazon black. This color combo was one I was just playing around with...a little on the masculine side, but I guess with those daisies, I think I should send it to a woman!!! Okay, here's a more fall-themed one:

This one uses Really Rust DP from the Hostess Patterns III pack, along with some Kraft paper and a little leaf & sentiment from Falling Leaves....remember, from the Catty Cruise? Sweet! Added a little scallop border and "eyelet" with my 1/16" punch!

Thanks for visiting today---got something special tomorrow! And here are a few photos from right outside my back door:

About Me

I am a SU demonstrator who loves all kinds of papercrafts as well as crosswords, knitting, cross stitch and sewing. My sweet hubby John patiently puts up with all of my crafting! I also have a beautiful daughter Dana as well as a sweet granddaughter who brings us joy and laughter! We are a Christian family and strive to glorify the Lord in all we do. You can reach me at leanne.pugliese@gmail.com